Why No One Will Ever Refute The Rapture
September 7, 2023 1:39 AM
Immanuel Acree
We must look at all the parameters which guide us to the general timing of Christ’s return. We are thus confined to the following concerning the Rapture (or Second Coming):
• We must allow that the return of Christ will be a total shock for the wicked christian who did not watch for it; a christian could say to himself “my Master is a long time coming” so as to live selfishly, hoping to score a late repentance; and so he begins to beat his fellow servants and get drunk (Mat 24:49, Lu 12:45).
• The timing could be conditional based exclusively on the Father’s judgment as to when to surprise the wicked (Mar 13:32, Rev 2:5,16).
• It must allow that He comes quickly (Rev 3:11, 22:7, 22:12,20).
• It must allow for the church to be judged first in chronological order (1 Pe 4:17).
On the other hand,
• It must never be predicted or prophesied as to the specific “day” nor “hour”; the return will be a perfect surprise to everyone (Mar 13:32).
• It must not occur until the gospel is presented in every nation (Mat 24:14), but then it’s expected.
• It coincides with or follows after the revelation of the Antichrist and a great apostasy (2 Thes 2:3).
Further: if as according to 2 Thess 2 the Antichrist revelation should be used as a sign for the feasibility of the Return, then it follows that later events do not coincide with the return (such as the fullness of Antichrist world domination). As otherwise, the domination of the world would be so obvious that the discussion about the antichrist’s “revealing” proves marginal and quite unintelligent for Paul to have even mentioned it. He could or should have just said, “It’s going to be obvious;” everyone is going to be asking “when does this planet-wide horror show end?” Alas, he doesn’t: Paul associates the return of the Messiah with the initial onset of Antichrist activities, and not their plateau phase.
Hence Paul was an early-eschaton believer. Christ also insists on making a surprise of things.
I do understand why some prefer to read Matthew chapter 24 in isolation as their “proof” and yet this method fails multiple tests: mainly that of basic hermeneutics, in that the exact timing for the rapture is not even remotely specified in the chapter; so that it does not clarify Paul’s “blessed hope” (1 Thes 4:16) but by reckless extrapolation. Further, Matthew 24 simply does not stick to a rigid timeline (e.g. v.14 ), so that two readers may develop different theoretical timelines even while using only this chapter.
The rapture is a stubborn fact of Scripture, not a theory; and only it’s precise timing must remain a mystery such that it rather comes as a sin for us to argue more about it. Only the Holy Spirit directly revealing His truth about the rapture matters beyond what I have highlighted here, albeit an abridged list.
I hope we will see an end of the debates.
Peace and blessings,
Immanuel Acree
Photos courtesy Depositphotos
